Churches are the core of black communities

Local African Americans celebrate, nurture heritage

By Maeleeke J. Lavan
Poughkeepsie Journal

 

Kathy McLaughlin photos/Poughkeepsie Journal Bonita Sellers of Beacon praises God during worship Sunday at the Springfield Baptist Church in Beacon.

Faith Cole of Beacon reads with her daughter Shayla, 10, Sunday at Springfield Baptist Church in Beacon.

For many African-Americans, church is more than a place to worship on Sundays.

Black churches have given the country some of the most influential civil rights leaders of the past century, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

And for longer than that, black churches have offered spiritual nurturance, education and social interaction.

''Black churches have been the centers for their community for a very long period of time,'' said Larry Mamiya, professor of religion and Africana studies at Vassar College in the Town of Poughkeepsie. ''During slavery and after slavery, churches were the only institution that were allowed to develop'' in black communities.

Whether used to educate members or as a place to gather to worship, black churches acted as the center of their communities.

''The idea was to help the people to remember, or not to forget, what they had learned and to serve again as that God conscience to the community,'' said the Rev. Edward L. Hunt of Missionary Baptist Church in Wappingers Falls.

The earliest black pastors were sometimes called ''tribal men,'' and one of their primary duties was to give the congregation hope and guidance, often amid tremendous struggle.

Faced with racism and discrimination in virtually every aspect of their lives, blacks also had to deal with segregation or outright rejection in traditional white churches.

Black churches created alternatives -- and not only for worship.

''Black churches became the first schools for African-Americans. They became the first art galleries and museums. They helped to create black banks,'' Mamiya said.

Pastors also became politically aware and involved, Mamiya said. After the Civil War, some were elected and appointed to offices.

Today, there are numerous businesses and government and nonprofit agencies that provide services and programs once offered by churches. Still, black churches remain a mainstay in many African-American communities.

''We have always been advocates of freedom for all people,'' said the Rev. H. Dwight Bolton, pastor at Smith Metropolitan AME Zion Church in the City of Poughkeepsie.

As the world has changed, Bolton said, so have churches.

''Now our emphasis in contemporary times is to continue to be less of a vanguard for freedom and to protect the heritage we have and to serve the present,'' he said.

The church has created a culture that is woven through the lives of most African-Americans. Many say the leadership offered by black pastors is the main reason the church has not lost its place.

Pastor credited

Members of the Springfield Baptist Church in Beacon say the Rev. Ronald O. Perry is why their church is successful.

''He's a pastor, preacher, teacher, friend and brother,'' church member Mack Simmons said of Perry. ''People are looking for someone they can relate to.''

The church and its pastor offer members stability, moral leadership and spiritual inspiration. The sense of belonging is passed from generation to generation.

Hazel Rountree, a deaconess at Springfield Baptist, remembers all the Sundays she spent at church as a child.

''I'd go to Sunday school, go home and eat and go right back to Sunday school,'' Rountree said.

Aleica Dalton, a Sunday school teacher at Springfield Baptist, said she didn't necessarily grow up in the church, but as an adult felt a desire to get involved.

''I'm here all the time,'' she said. ''For Sunday school, morning service and afternoon service.''

In an era of busy work schedules and equally busy recreation schedules, pastors have had to make adjustments and change expectations.

''Now we hardly get together for family dinner and church has taken the brunt of that,'' Perry said of the lifestyles of local residents, some of whom are no longer regular church-goers. ''There were times when stores were closed on Sunday; it wasn't always this way.''

But that doesn't mean the church has lost its significance. Last Sunday, Perry received a call to his office just before the 11 a.m. service. A member was calling to let him know she wouldn't be at church that day.

''People think: 'If I can call my job and let them know I won't be in on Monday, then I can call my church too','' Perry said.

Bolton said Martin Luther King Jr.'s ''I Have a Dream'' speech is a good example of the strong message the church has tried to nurture throughout its history.

''We're empowered by the almighty creator ... to achieve those things that God wills for individuals and for nations,'' he said. ''It's with this faith that we've been able to overcome adversities of our people throughout the centuries.''